Closer To Heaven
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ELMHURST, ILL —En una tragedia que sigue a una noticia anterior, el cuerpo de Gabriel De Sagun, de 28 años, que fue miembro del Club de los Conquistadores, se encontraba desaparecido desde el 20 de julio, fue recuperado el domingo tras una búsqueda exhaustiva que duró una semana, según anunció el Departamento de Policía de […] Source: https://atoday.org/comunidad-adventista-de-duelo-tras-confirmarse-la-muerte-de-gabriel-de-sagun/
The Biblical Person of the Day
Obadiah – The Prophet against Pride
Profile
Short StoryObadiah was a prophet of God about whose personal life very little is known. His name means “servant of the Lord.”
Although his book is the shortest book in the Old Testament, it contains a serious and clear message. Obadiah speaks primarily about Edom, the brother nation of Israel, which descended from Esau.
Edom had turned against Judah. When Jerusalem was in distress, Edom did not help, but watched with malicious delight and took advantage of the weakness of its brother nation.
Obadiah condemned this pride. The Edomites felt secure in their rocky dwellings and believed that no one could reach or overthrow them.
But through Obadiah, God showed that no place is too high and no power too secure when a people harden themselves in pride, violence, and delight over the suffering of others.
Obadiah’s message is therefore a warning against pride and rejoicing over the misfortune of others. Whoever looks down upon the fall of a brother will also stand before God’s judgment.
At the end, however, Obadiah also offers hope: The kingdom belongs to the Lord. Neither Edom, nor human pride, nor violence will have the final word, but God.
The Decisive MomentObadiah proclaims God’s judgment upon Edom’s pride and reminds us that in the end the Lord will reign as King.
7 Special Things about Obadiah
Strengths & Weaknesses
clear in his message
courageous in confronting pride and injustice
reminded people of God’s justice
pointed to the hope of God’s reign
very little is known about his personal life
his message is short, but very serious
The Mistake That Shaped HimThe Bible does not report any specific personal failure of Obadiah.
His life and his book are shaped above all by his clear message against pride, malicious delight, and betrayal between brothers.
Key Verse“The pride of your heart has deceived you.” (Obadiah 1:3)
The Life LessonPride deceives the heart and causes people to believe they are secure, even though they are fragile before God.
Application for TodayDo not rejoice over the fall of others. Remain humble, helpful, and merciful, especially when someone has fallen into distress.
A Question for YouWhere do you need to be careful today that inner distance does not turn into malicious delight or arrogance?
ContextObadiah’s message stands in the context of the conflict between Judah and Edom, two nations whose ancestry goes back to the brothers Jacob and Esau.
ConnectionObadiah connects the history of Edom with the greater theme of the day of the Lord and God’s final reign.
Obadiah shows that God does not overlook pride, malicious delight, or unfaithfulness. His book calls us to humility and reminds us that in the end the kingdom belongs to the Lord.
See you tomorrow with the next biblical person!
The Life Story The Life Story of Obadiah – The Voice against Pride 
A Prophet Who Left Few TracesObadiah is one of the prophets about whose personal life the Bible gives hardly any details. We learn nothing about his family, his place of birth, or the exact circumstances of his daily life.
Yet this very lack of personal detail directs our attention strongly toward his message. Obadiah does not come forward with a long life story, but with a brief, serious, and powerful word from God.
His name means “servant of the Lord.” This name fits his calling: He does not place himself at the center, but serves the message that God gives through him.
The Shortest Book with a Serious MessageThe book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. It contains only one chapter, yet its words carry great weight.
Obadiah speaks about Edom, the nation descended from Esau. Edom and Israel were therefore not simply foreign nations without any connection, but historically stood in a brotherly relationship to one another.
For this very reason, Edom’s guilt was especially serious. Where help, compassion, and restraint were needed, Edom showed pride and malicious delight.
Edom’s False SecurityEdom was located in a rocky mountain region and felt secure because of its position. The people trusted in their hard-to-reach dwellings and in their natural defenses.
This outward security nourished inward pride. Edom believed that it lived high enough to be beyond attack.
But Obadiah made it clear that no rock, no height, and no human strength can protect a person from God’s judgment when the heart has become proud.
The Pride of the HeartObadiah clearly identified Edom’s real problem: The pride of its heart had deceived the nation.
Pride is dangerous because it prevents people from seeing the truth about themselves. It whispers that they are secure, superior, and untouchable.
But before God, a proud heart is not strong, but blind. It fails to recognize how dependent it is upon God’s grace.
Malicious Delight over a BrotherIt was especially serious that Edom rejoiced over Judah’s day of disaster. When Jerusalem was in distress, Edom did not stand beside it with help.
Instead of showing compassion, Edom looked down upon Judah, took advantage of the weakness of its brother nation, and sided with injustice.
Obadiah therefore shows that malicious delight is not a small movement of the heart. When a person rejoices over another’s fall, it often reveals more about their own heart than about the other person.
The Day of the LordObadiah’s message does not stop with Edom. He speaks about the day of the Lord upon all nations.
This means that God’s justice concerns more than one particular nation. No person and no nation stands outside its accountability before God.
What Edom had done to others would return upon Edom. Obadiah reminds us that God does not forget how people respond to the distress of others.
Hope for God’s PeopleAs serious as Obadiah’s message is, it does not end without hope. God will not abandon His people forever.
Mount Zion is named as a place of deliverance. There will be rescue there, and God’s order will become visible again.
Obadiah thus shows that God’s judgment is not the final word of history. The final word belongs to God’s reign.
The Kingdom Belongs to the LordThe final sentence of the book carries great power: The kingdom will belong to the Lord.
This places all human boasting into perspective. Edom’s rocks, political power, pride, and malicious delight disappear before the greater reality that God reigns.
Obadiah directs our eyes away from the apparent strength of human beings and toward the final rule of God.
The Lasting Message of His LifeObadiah shows that even a brief word from God can penetrate deeply into the heart. His message makes clear that pride deceives people and that malicious delight weighs heavily before God.
It reminds us that true security is not found in position, possessions, ancestry, or strength, but in humility before God and faithfulness toward our neighbor.
Closing ThoughtObadiah remains in the background as a person, but his message stands clearly before us. He was a servant of the Lord who confronted Edom’s pride with God’s truth.
His brief book calls us not to triumph over others, but to live humbly before God and to treat people in distress with mercy.
His life story shows: A proud heart can deceive itself, but whoever remains humble before God stands on firmer ground than any human rock.
FIRST AND SECOND CORINTHIANS
Lesson 5: All to the Glory of God
5.5 Overcoming Idolatry
Honoring God through Love, Freedom, and Consideration
1. IntroductionPaul shows that idolatry is not overcome merely by saying a clear “no,” but by living a life that is wholly directed toward God’s glory. Christian freedom does not mean simply doing everything that seems permissible. Instead, it asks: Does it honor God? Does it build others up? Does it lead people closer to Christ? Therefore, Paul connects love for God with consideration for one’s neighbor. Those who truly want to honor God do not live selfishly, but responsibly, lovingly, and with a missionary spirit.
2. The Biblical FoundationPaul writes:
“‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” 1 Corinthians 10:23
Then he adds:
“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” 1 Corinthians 10:24
Finally, he summarizes the standard of the Christian life:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Jesus’ words also fit perfectly here:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31
3. Connection to Our TimeChristians today also face many decisions that cannot always be answered simply with “permitted” or “forbidden.” The question is not only whether something is possible, but whether it is spiritually beneficial. Some things may not be explicitly forbidden, yet they can capture our hearts, weaken our devotion, or unsettle others. Paul shows that Christian freedom must always be guided by love. Those who want to honor God do not live only for themselves, but also consider the conscience and faith of others. In this way, everyday life becomes a place where God’s glory can be seen.
4. Central Message of the Lesson
Idolatry is overcome when God has first place in our hearts and our freedom is shaped by love, consideration, and the desire to do everything for His glory.
5. Theological FocusThe theological focus of this lesson centers on the question: To whom does our life give glory? Paul makes it clear that Christian freedom is neither unlimited nor self-centered. It remains under God’s authority and is ordered by love. Therefore, it is not enough to say, “This is permitted.” The more important question is, “Does it honor God?”
Paul uses the statement: “All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” With this, he shows that a Christian does not merely ask about the minimum requirement. Mature discipleship does not seek the outer limits of what is allowed, but what pleases God and serves others. Freedom becomes spiritual not when I exploit it, but when I submit it to Christ.
Idolatry begins wherever something draws to itself the glory that belongs to God. That may be possessions, recognition, pleasure, security, success, or a personal desire. An idol does not have to stand visibly before us. It can reign within the heart. It reveals itself in what we cling to, what we trust in, and what we are unwilling to let go.
Paul sets a clear standard against this false center: “Do everything to the glory of God.” These words include not only worship services, prayer, or preaching, but also eating, drinking, decisions, relationships, work, leisure, and the way we treat others. Our entire life is to belong to God. There is no area that should remain outside His lordship.
Here Paul joins love for God with love for one’s neighbor. Those who honor God will not live with indifference toward others. They ask not only, “What benefits me?” but also, “What serves the other person?” “What builds up?” “What helps my brother or sister follow Christ more faithfully?”
In this, Paul stands completely in line with Jesus. Jesus joins the greatest commandment—to love God with all one’s heart—with the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. These two commandments must never be separated. A religion that seeks to honor God while hurting people is incomplete. A love for people that forgets God’s glory loses its spiritual center.
The rich young ruler shows what idolatry in the heart can look like. Outwardly he was religious, moral, and sincere. Yet his possessions had taken the place that belonged to God. He could not let go of his wealth because his heart was attached to it. In the same way, even something good today can become a spiritual obstacle when it becomes more important than God.
Paul shows that idolatry is not overcome merely by prohibitions, but by a new orientation of the heart. When God’s glory becomes our goal, our understanding of freedom changes. We no longer live for self-assertion, but for Christ. We no longer seek our own advantage first, but God’s will.
Christian freedom is therefore never separated from responsibility. Those who are free in Christ no longer belong to themselves. They are free from the dominion of sin, but bound to the love of God. This bond is not a burden, but the pathway to true freedom.
The theological heart of this lesson is this: God alone deserves the highest glory. Everything that draws this glory to itself becomes an idol. Everything done out of love for God and for one’s neighbor becomes an expression of true worship.
6. Spiritual DeepeningThis lesson leads us deeply into the question of our motives. In everyday life we often ask, “Am I allowed to do this?” Paul takes us further by asking, “Why do you want to do it?” “Whom does it serve?” “Where will it lead your heart?” These questions often reveal more than the outward action itself.
Overcoming idolatry means more than avoiding wrong things. It means loving Christ so deeply that other things lose their false place. The heart cannot remain empty. When an idol is removed, Christ must fill the space. Only a deeper love for God can truly break false attachments.
That is why the command, “Do everything to the glory of God,” is so important. It is not merely a rule, but a direction for life. It helps us bring both small and great decisions before God. What I eat, drink, watch, buy, say, post, plan, or desire can all be examined in the light of one question: Does this honor God?
This attitude protects us from self-deception. Sometimes we use our freedom to justify our own desires spiritually. We say, “It isn’t forbidden.” But Paul asks, “Does it build up?” “Is it beneficial?” “Does it help others?” “Does it honor God?” An action may appear harmless outwardly while being spiritually harmful inwardly.
Love makes us sensitive to the influence our lives have on others. We do not live alone. Our decisions send messages. Others observe how we use our freedom. Especially younger or weaker believers can be encouraged or confused by our conduct. Therefore, consideration is a mark of spiritual maturity.
This does not mean that we should live in fear of people. Paul does not want us to become dependent on every opinion. Rather, he wants love to be more important than self-assertion. There is a difference between unhealthy conformity and genuine consideration. False conformity seeks approval. Genuine consideration seeks the salvation of the other person.
Idolatry is also overcome when we learn to let things go. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful because his possessions had captured his heart. His story asks us: What would make me sad if Jesus asked me to let it go? That may be where a hidden idol is sitting.
Some idols are obvious; others are very subtle. Religious pride can be an idol. Control can be an idol. The desire always to be right can be an idol. Even service for God can become dangerous when it serves our own honor more than Christ’s.
Therefore, we need the work of the Holy Spirit. Only God can show us what truly rules our hearts. We often see only the surface, but God sees the deepest motives. Whoever honestly prays, “Lord, show me what stands between You and me,” opens their life to cleansing and renewal.
The good news is that God does not merely call us to let go, but to a greater joy. Idols take and enslave. Christ gives and sets free. Idols demand sacrifices without giving life. Christ gave Himself as the sacrifice so that we might have life.
Therefore, God’s glory is not a cold religious principle. It is the pathway to a fulfilled life in His presence. When God has first place, everything else falls into its proper order. Possessions become tools rather than masters. Freedom becomes service rather than selfishness. Relationships become a blessing rather than a substitute for God.
Paul presents a life that thinks missionally. He does not seek his own advantage, but what benefits many so that they may be saved. This is the attitude of Jesus. Jesus did not live for Himself. He came to seek and to save those who were lost. Those who follow Him learn to view their own lives in the light of the salvation of others.
Therefore, overcoming idolatry also means redirecting my life toward God’s purpose. I no longer ask first, “What pleases me?” Instead, I ask, “What glorifies God?” “What strengthens others?” “What can help people come to know Christ?” In this way, everyday life becomes an act of worship.
7. Application in Daily LifePractical Steps:
8. Reflection QuestionWhich decision in my life should I once again place under this question: “Does this truly honor God and build others up?”
9. Closing ThoughtPaul shows that idolatry is overcome when God’s glory becomes the highest standard of our lives. Christian freedom does not mean doing everything that is possible, but choosing what honors God and builds others up. Those who love God will also show consideration for their neighbor and will not use their freedom selfishly. Idols lose their power when Christ takes first place in the heart. Therefore, our entire lives—from the simplest things to the most important—should be a testimony to God. The great standard remains: Everything for His glory.
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 
July 30, 2026
BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Daily Bible Reading: 
Job 34
God Never Acts Unjustly
The Righteous Judge Sees What Remains Hidden from People
Read online here
IntroductionElihu continues his speech and now also addresses those who are listening. He strongly defends God’s justice and rejects the idea that God could ever act arbitrarily or unjustly. Job chapter 34 reminds us that God, as Creator and Judge, is perfectly just—even when human beings cannot always understand His ways.
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CommentaryElihu calls upon the wise and understanding to examine his words carefully. Just as the palate tests food, so his listeners should judge whether his statements agree with the truth. He invites them not to believe blindly, but to seek God’s truth with discernment.
He then refers to several of Job’s statements and believes that Job has given the impression that God has treated him unjustly. Elihu firmly rejects this idea. To him, one thing is certain: God can never do wrong or pervert justice. His character is perfectly righteous.
Elihu supports this by pointing to God’s position as the Creator. All life comes from Him. If God were to withdraw His Spirit and His breath of life, all flesh would perish and return to the dust. Precisely because God is the Giver of life, He never acts arbitrarily or unjustly.
Elihu goes on to describe God as the impartial Judge. God shows no favoritism to the rich or the powerful. He knows every person’s heart and sees even what is done in secret. No darkness can hide anyone from His sight.
Elihu especially emphasizes that God never condemns anyone without knowing their ways. He does not judge by outward appearances but on the basis of perfect knowledge. This is what fundamentally distinguishes God’s judgment from human judgments.
At the same time, Elihu calls people to humility. When we do not understand God’s actions, we should not accuse Him too quickly, but instead be willing to learn from Him. In this respect, Elihu expresses a timeless truth.
Nevertheless, there is also a limitation in his speech. He still assumes that Job’s words reveal a wrong attitude toward God. Although his statements about God’s character are correct, Elihu also does not know the true reason behind Job’s suffering.
Job chapter 34 calls us to value God’s justice above our own judgment. Even when we do not understand His ways, we may still trust that the Judge of all the earth never does wrong.
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SummaryJob 34 defends God’s perfect justice. Elihu explains that God never wrongs anyone, knows every person completely, and acts impartially as the righteous Judge. At the same time, he encourages us to trust God’s wisdom more than our own judgment.
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Message for Us TodayEven when we do not always understand God’s actions, we can trust His character. The Lord sees the whole picture, while we see only a small part of it. Therefore, humility is the right response whenever our questions are greater than our answers. God’s justice remains perfect—even when it is beyond our understanding.
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ReflectionDo I trust God’s justice even when I cannot fully understand His decisions at this moment?
Blood, frogs, locusts—most people remember those—but can you name all ten? Watch the challenge and see how many you get right before the end. Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jevA62rzEyM
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